


The New Project

by afteriwake



Series: Words Upon My Heart [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-16
Updated: 2012-10-16
Packaged: 2017-11-16 10:34:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/538528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She wasn't Rangiku, but he's thinking that's not a bad thing in the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The New Project

**Author's Note:**

> This one is for **darkmagic_luvr** , who gave me this pairing and the prompt “a history.”

“Lieutenant Hisagi?”

Hisagi lifted his head up and caught the 4th Division lieutenant in his doorway. Outwardly he smiled but inside he was a little wary. After Rangiku had basically told everyone he would help them with anything, any woman who came into his office either tentatively or with a soft spoken curious nature was immediately suspect. “How can I help you?”

“Well, actually...I want to help you.” Isane stepped into his office. “My captain asked me to write down a biography of the Gotei 13, in a way. She was impressed with what I've written so far and thought you might like to run it in the newsletter.” As she came closer he saw she had a small stack of paper in her hands. “If it isn't too much trouble, could you read it?”

He nodded. If Captain Unohana thought it was worth being in the newsletter he would certainly take some time away from his paperwork and read it. He took the stack, maybe eight or nine pages, and began to read. He found himself so involved that he felt disappointed when he got to the end. “How long did it take you to write this?” he asked.

“Two weeks. It was only that long because I wanted to get information from Captain-Commander in person, and I had to wait to see him.” She looked hopeful. “You liked it?”

He nodded again, more enthusiastically this time. “It's too long to run in the newsletter, but...what if you were to turn it into a book?”

“A book? Oh, I don't know,” she said.

“It's well written-well researched, and it's got a really good flow. I think if you were to profile each of the captains and lieutenants you could write a very compelling biography of the Gotei 13. If I published it in the newsletter it would have to be much shorter, and it would really take away from what you've written.”

“But, it's so much work to compile a book,” she said. “Short articles would be easier.”

“What if I helped?” he asked. He would never have thought of volunteering his help if this wasn't something he really didn't want to encourage. But it was _good_ , and he wanted to give her the opportunity to really impress others the way he had been impressed. He waited patiently, and then smiled. “I suppose you've heard what Rangiku has to say about me?”

Isane nodded. “That you're a good helper, and you'll help anybody.”

“Well, I have started to limit my help, but this time I'm _volunteering_ to help you. I haven't done that with anyone, not even Rangiku. I really just want to see your writing skills put to the best use, and I honestly believe that would be better in book form with longer biographies.”

“Well, all right,” she said with a smile. “How will you help?”

“I can set up interview appointments, edit them as you write them, and do...well, anything else you might need help with, really. Have you written any other biographies?”

“Just my captains,” she said. “It's a little longer than that one.”

“Then why don't we start with the captains and see how long they are before we think of adding lieutenants,” he said. “And if you could get more in depth with interview answers with Captain-Commander, that would make this biography even better. I'll talk to his lieutenant when he turns in his column tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant Hisagi,” she said with a relieved smile. “I appreciate the offer of help and your kind words.”

“I'm just stating the truth,” he said, returning a warm smile. “Why don't we meet tomorrow around six? I should have talked to Lieutenant Sasakibe by then, and we can come up with some more interview questions.”

“All right,” she said, bowing to him slightly. “Once again, thank you.”

“You're welcome,” he said. And with that, she turned and left, his eyes following her until he no longer saw her shadow on the wall opposite his office door. She really was talented, he thought to himself. Maybe when she was done with this he could convince her to write a column for the newsletter. It would probably be as well received as Captain Kyoraku's romance serial. Or at least he hoped it would, if he could get her to write something. And then, with great reluctance, he turned back to the mountain of paperwork that beckoned him and began to work on it. He really had let it pile up while he was helping out everyone in the Gotei 13.

–

It took about two weeks, but Isane had managed to flesh out both Captain Commander and Captain Unohana's biographies to about fifteen pages each. Hisagi was more than impressed with them, and they were currently thinking of questions to ask Captain Ukitake. “Do you know why his hair is white?” Isane asked, looking over at him from across the desk. Even though he still had a fair amount of paperwork to do because he was still helping people out, he had moved it onto the floor so he and Isane could share desk space as they came up with questions.

“No, I don't,” he said.

“When he was diagnosed with his illness, his hair turned white over the span of three days,” she said. “Captain Unohana told me when I asked her years ago. I always thought it was fascinating.”

“Do you think he'd talk about it?” Hisagi asked, tapping a pen against the corner of his mouth like he usually did when he was thinking intently.

“Perhaps. But if I focus too much on his illness I won't get to talk about other things he's done that make him well rounded.”

Good point,” he said, pointing the pen at her. “How many questions should you ask about it, then?”

“Hmm. I know the story, so maybe one question confirming it and getting any details I missed, one about how it has affected him, and...one about the time of his life when he was diagnosed, to put it into perspective?”

“Sounds good,” he said, taking the pen and writing it down with the other questions.

“There have been rumors about him and his friendship with Captain Kyoraku,” she said hesitantly. “Should I ask him anything about them?”

“What rumors?” Hisagi asked.

“They they are not merely friends, but...” She blushed a bright red.

Hisagi took pity on her. “I doubt it's true. You might want to ask why they are friends, how long they've been friends, things like that. And when you interview Captain Kyoraku, ask him the same questions. It will be interesting to see what his answers are.”

“All right,” she said with a nod, the blushing on her face fading a bit.

Hisagi smiled at her. She looked very attractive when she blushed, but he wasn't about to tell her that. She was very smart, very creative, very friendly...but easily embarrassed. He may have liked to see her blush, but that didn't mean he was going to purposely make it happen.

“Lieutenant Hisagi?” she asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Are you all right?” she asked, concern on her face.

“Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just lost in my thoughts.” He thought for a moment. “If we're going to be working like this...it might be all right if we drop the formality. You can call me Shuhei, if you want.”

“Oh,” she said, blushing again.

“But only if you want to!” he said hastily. “I mean, if you don't feel comfortable, then Hisagi-san is fine.”

“Hisagi-san,” she said, rolling it on her tongue for a moment. “All right. And you may call me Kotetsu-san.”

“All right then,” he said with a smile. When he saw her relax, he did as well. What was he thinking, jumping from formal to so informal so fast? In the back of his head he knew, though. He wanted to hear her say his name. For now, though, he could live with Hisagi-san. “All right. What else should you ask him?”

And with that, they were back at work, and he was able to shove his thoughts to the side and concentrate on working with her on the questions. It was much better this way, or so he tried to tell himself.

–

“Hisagi-san?” came the soft voice from behind the door. “I have the chapter on Captain Kyoraku.”

“Let me see it,” he said with a grin, coming up to open the door. She stood on the other side, a look of something like...nausea? Yes, it was clear that she wasn't feeling well at all. “Are you okay, Kotetsu-san?”

“Captain Kyoraku had me drink sake,” she said, a distasteful look on her face. “I'd had five cups before his lieutenant came back and saw the condition I was in and scolded him.”

Hisagi nodded, moving out of the way so she could come in. “You're hungover, then.”

“I've never been hungover before,” she said, moving to what had become her chair and sitting down, setting the papers on his desk and folding her arms on it. She rested her head on her arms and groaned. “I don't even drink very much other than tea.”

“Five cups of sake is too much for someone with no tolerance.”

“I have _some_ tolerance, and they were small cups,” she said, her voice muffled because sh didn't lift her head up.

“I know what will help a hangover,” he said, going to the other side of his desk. He opened up a drawer and pulled out a small bottle of amber liquid. “Do you have a headache?”

“Yes,” she said.

“How did you manage to write with a headache?” he asked, pushing the bottle towards her.

“”Concentrating on it took the headache away for a bit.” She lifted her head up and looked at the bottle. “What is that?”

“It's a flat soda called ginger ale,” he said. He then reached in his drawer and pulled out a small bottle and a small bag of crackers. “Take two of the pills and some of the crackers, and sip the soda. It will help with the nausea and the headache.”

“Thank you,” she said, lifting her had up more. She tapped two pills out of the small bottle, took them with some of the soda, and then pulled out some crackers and began to chew them softly, or as softly as one could chew crackers.

Hisagi leaned back in his chair, touching his fingers together and looking at her. “I should have warned you about Captain Kyoraku. I apologize.”

“It's all right,” she said. “His lieutenant kicked him a few times and then helped me get some answers clarified and then I left.” She smiled weakly. “She also said she'd dump out his entire hidden stash of sake for making me drink so much.”

Hisagi grinned. “That’s Lieutenant Ise for you.”

“His chapter isn't as good as the others, but I can work on it more when I feel better,” she said, taking another cracker. “I do feel a bit better,” she said.

“You can get the same effect with ginger tea, but I've found the soda works better,” he said. “It is very hard to find, though.”

“Then I shouldn't be drinking it,” she said, pushing the bottle away.

“No, no, it's fine,” he said. “I can take some of Kira's the next time I get hungover. He keeps taking my sake, at any rate.”

She smiled a little more brightly this time. “You and he and Lieutenant Matsumoto seem to be close.”

“We are, and we aren't,” he said thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair more. “Rangiku...I like her, but I've come to realize now that she can be very selfish, even if she's not intending to be. And both she and Kira will let their work fall by the wayside if given the opportunity.”

“But not you?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I have many responsibilities, and while I may over drink sometimes, I do my best not to let it interfere with my jobs. Doing my duty is important to me.”

She nodded, and then winced. “That did not feel good.”

“The pills will kick in in about thirty minutes. For now, why don't you lay down on my couch? I'll make sure you're not disturbed.”

“Thank you,” she said with a much smaller inclination of the head, and got up and moved her body to the sofa. She stretched out on it, and then groaned. “I'm too tall,” she said quietly.

Hisagi stood up and went over to her, and saw that her ankles were resting on the arm of the couch and her feet were hanging off. “I have the same problem,” he said with a laugh.

“But you're not as tall as I am,” she sad.

“But I like not resting my head on the arm of the couch, and the only way I'll fit is if I sleep on my side and curl up slightly.”

“Perhaps I can try that,” she said, slowly moving into a new position. Once she was settled she looked at him and smiled. “This is much more comfortable. Thank you, Hisagi-san.”

“You're welcome,” he said. He watched her for a moment, then studiously went to the trash bucket in his office and moved it next to the couch in case she needed it before returning to his desk and reading the chapter. It was good, but she had been right that it could use some more work. He was almost done when he heard her mumble in her sleep. He could have sworn she said “fish paste,” and he smiled, getting up and going over to her. He watched her for a moment, just enjoying the fact that his experiences with hangovers had helped someone who didn't really deserve one.

As he watched her sleep, though, he realized that he liked looking at her. She wasn't as striking as Rangiku, but few women in Soul Society were, to his knowledge. And she wasn't as flamboyant or prone to being inconsiderate, even when she didn't mean to be. But he had found himself enjoying her company just as much as Rangiku's, and was looking forward to the visits he got from her. With a sigh he went back to his desk. It was not worth pursuing that line of thought. Whatever it was about Isane that he liked, she still was not Rangiku, and he would do anything for her, no matter how much it cost him.

–

“I have arranged for you to interview Lieutenant Kurotsuchi instead of Captain Kurotsuchi,” he said. “Captain Kurotsuchi is not really inclined to be a part of this book if we do not talk about his scientific achievements, so I believe if we concentrate on that we might be able to put in a short chapter on him.”

“Do you know how he became a captain?” she asked.

He thought for a moment. “All I know s he was a prisoner before he was released into the 12th Division's care. Kisuke Urahara was instrumental in his release, and also instrumental in changing to focus of the 12th Division into the research department.”

“Wouldn't it be more interesting to interview him, then?” she asked hopefully.

He thought for another moment, and then nodded. “If we are talking about the history of the Gotei 13, then we probably should include him and the others who left a hundred years ago.”

“But can we talk to them?” she asked.

He shrugged slightly. “The only way I can find out is to ask Urahara-san are willing to talk, then perhaps you can speak to them.”

“I'd have to go to the world of the living, though, right?” she said.

“Probably, yeah,” he said with a nod.

“I've always wanted to go there,” she said with a smile. “Lieutenant Matsumoto told us so many things about being there.”

“I've always wanted to go as well, and not while fighting Hollows,” he said. “I would love to see the real Karakura Town, not a fake one created to distract enemies.”

“Perhaps...if they grant an interview you can come with me?” she asked hesitantly.

He nodded. “Maybe. It would take some arranging, but if I went with you we could do more interviews at once.” And then he got thoughtful. “And any history of the Gotei 13 should include that traitor and what he did to the Vizard.”

“I never understood why,” she said.

“I don't either.” He was quiet. “We cannot get much from the other side of the story, so perhaps we had best not include it. It wouldn't be balanced or fair.”

“Yes, I suppose,” she said, sounding slightly disappointed.

“What's wrong?”

“If we don't include that then we shouldn't include the Vizard, or Urahara-san and the others,” she said. “And it would have been nice to go there and interview them.”

He smiled at her. “Perhaps you're right. But someday, maybe you can go. I can help find a way.”

“Really?” she asked, her eyes wide. “Oh, I would love that very much.”

“We could always stick with the current captain biographies right now, and maybe write something from the Vizard's perspective for another project.”

“I hope so,” she said. “I would like to meet them and do more than just tend their wounds.”

“Who did you help heal?” he asked.

“Risa Yadomaru,” she said. “Her injuries were minor, though, and she was too angry and concerned about her friends to be too talkative.”

“They're a very close group,” he said. “I sometimes wish I was that close to someone.”

“I thought you were to Lieutenant Kira and Lieutenant Matsumoto,” she said.

“Not as much as I used to be,” he said. “I spend more time with you than I do them.”

“Oh,” she said quietly, looking down. “I apologize.”

“What? No, Kotetsu-san, don't take that the wrong way. I enjoy doing this work with you quite a bit, and I enjoy being in your company. And besides, all the three of us do is drink, really. It's nice to take a break from that.”

She blushed slightly. “Then that is a different matter, I suppose.”

“Hey,” he said, reaching across the desk and grasping one of her hands. She looked up and he saw that she was blushing deeper so he let go, with some reluctance on his part. “I am very glad to consider you a friend.”

“Really?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah, really,” he said with a nod. “Maybe we can get closer and have a bond like the Vizard do, or something close to it. Perhaps without the shared tragedy part.” She smiled, and then laughed softly. He'd never heard her laugh, and he was entranced. When she spoke again he snapped out of his thoughts. Why was he _thinking_ such things? 

“I would like to become closer to you as well, Hisagi-san. I don't have many friends, and I would be pleased to consider you one of them.”

“Then we'll be close friends,” he said, offering her his hand to shake. “Deal?”

“Deal,” she said, taking his hand and shaking it. She lingered a moment before letting go, and he wondered if that was intentional or not. But he couldn't dwell on it, because she was asking him questions and he had to concentrate on answers. But...he had noticed he was spending less time thinking about Rangiku and more time thinking about Isane. And it worried him, only because he had no clue if any affections given to Isane would be returned. Only time would tell, he supposed.

–

Over the next few months the book slowly came together. They had decided to include the lieutenants at first, but as the book grew the decision was made to leave them out after all. He felt disappointed. He would have loved to have been interviewed by her, to see if there was anything they hadn't already talked about.

Most nights their sessions had become half work, half conversation unrelated to the book. And because of this they were meeting almost every night. He found himself looking forward to them. Even Rangiku had noticed, because he had become less inclined to drop everything to help her. It had gotten to the point where she started complaining about it to Kira, but he didn't care. He still cared about her, that was still the same, but the level of intensity had dimmed considerably, and had been replaced with a fascination with Isane Kotetsu.

But as the book neared completion, he worried that she would decide not to do the book on the lieutenants, and he would lose these three or four hour work sessions and therefore lose his time with her. So tonight, as they did their final revisions, he knew he needed to let her know.

He waited until they had settled in, and looked at her. “Kotetsu-san, I--”

“I've decided I would like to do the book on the lieutenants,” she said.

“Oh,” he said with a nod and hat he hoped did not look like the grateful smile he envisioned he had. “That's good.”

“I was wondering If I could interview you first?” sh asked.

“What? Oh, sure,” he said with a nod. “Ask away.”

“Why did you decide to become a shinigami?” she asked.

“I was saved by a shinigami when I was a child, and he inspired me. That's why I have the tattoo on my face, the 69 one. He had that tattooed on his chest. I remember seeing it clearly when I looked up from the ground.”

She nodded. “What do you like most about being a shinigami?”

“Protecting people. I enjoy my other responsibilities, but my foremost duty is protecting people, and I love doing it.”

She paused. “Would you...do you...I mean...?” She took a deep breath,and shut her eyes. “Do you have any interests in anyone?”

He blinked and looked at her. Was she hinting at what he thought she was hinting at? “Yes,” he said quietly.

“And...what is her name?” she asked so quietly that it wasn't much above a whisper. She looked braces for disappointment.

“Her name is Isane Kotetsu,” he said.

Her eyes flew open, wide with shock. “Really?”

He nodded, smiling. “Did you think I was going to say Rangiku?”

“Yes,” she said with a slight nod.

“If you had asked me this when we first started this project I would have said her. But that has changed. I feel more inclined to spend time with you than with her.” This time he got up and moved so he was kneeling next to her. “Would you do me the honor of letting me kiss you?” he asked quietly.

He didn't get a verbal response but a small nod instead. He stood up, and then pulled her up. She was just a little taller than him, but not much, not enough to make a difference, really. She leaned in, eyes shut, and he did as well, and he kissed her gently. She sighed, and he increased the pressure for a moment before pulling away. “Well?”

“That was nice,” she murmured, still not having opened her eyes.

“I'm glad,” he said with a grin.

She opened her eyes and smiled a warm smile. “You can call me Isane, if you wish.”

“And you can call me Shuhei,” he said, his grin widening.

“All right...Shuhei,” she said, and then she reached over and took his hand in hers. He grasped it firmly but gently, and lead her out of the room into the hallway and out into the night, chatting about the book and other things. This felt so nice, so _right_ , he thought to himself, and he hoped every night was like this from here on out.


End file.
